Shop Til You Stop
by SilentStarlightSky
Summary: Rinoa and Selphie go on a quest to find Squall the perfect birthday present. Will they find something in time? Fluffy story inspired by the 2017 Successor Challenge. One shot


Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters.

Rinoa ran until she was breathless and had to stop. She just couldn't keep up with Selphie's pace. Her head flopped down as she leaned forward with her hands on the tops of her thighs. It was so hot out already and it wasn't even noon yet. Once she caught her breath, she pushed forward and started jogging lightly. She hated running, but she was happy that she was almost at their destination, or at least the destination before their real destination.

When she turned a corner, she saw off in the distance that unfettered sunshine beat down through the Balamb station skylights onto the metal train car as it sat idle. The day's heat caused visible waves to waft up off the train and disappear into the rafters. Just another hot summer day in Balamb.

They continued to hurry through one of Balamb town's little streets hoping to make the next train, only briefly stopped at the train station's ticket window to purchase tickets. Selphie tossed a wad of Gil at the clerk, showed her SeeD ID and asked for two tickets. Rinoa waited behind, standing on tip-toes to watch. Within a minute they'd completed their transaction and hurried to board the train, Rinoa holding their tickets.

They were all smiles and giggles as they ran into the station terminal. There was something thrilling about almost not making it in time. They were both breathless from laughter and running, but Rinoa was more winded from running and Selphie from laughing too much. They were already having a fun day and they both couldn't wait for the rest of it.

Selphie couldn't contain her excitement for another train ride and bounded up the steps past the conductor. Rinoa followed.

"Hurry up Rinoa, they're about to leave," Selphie said from the top step of the train car before disappearing inside.

Rinoa was lagging behind, the heat was causing her to move more slowly than normal. Even a long and lightweight sleeveless sweater was still a sweater. And a hot summer's day was NOT sweater weather. She thought that maybe she should get an alternate go-to outfit sometime. A little sundress would be good. Nice and cool. She sighed as the blue fabric stuck to the back of her legs again. The weather forecast said it would be cooler and less humid at their destination. She could only hope as she smiled to herself while jogging.

Rinoa caught up to Selphie who was waiting impatiently for her inside. She did the honor of opening the door with their tickets while Selphie danced in place while listening to the beeping sounds of the door unlocking. Once it was open, Selphie quickly vanished into the SeeD compartment that was halfway down the hallway. Rinoa followed at a much more leisurely pace. She'd lived in a train. She didn't see what was so great about them. But since Rinoa was a sweet person, she didn't tell Selphie that. Why ruin her fun?

Once Selphie was inside, she plopped down on the dark red plush seat of the private SeeD traincar with a little springy bounce.

"Oooo, this is gonna be super fun today," she told Rinoa, who was standing in the doorway. "And trust me, I've known Squall way longer than you," Selphie said emphatically. "I'll be a great help."

"Selphie, you met him the day before me," Rinoa exclaimed, leaning against the doorframe with a smile.

That was true. Mostly true, if nobody counted the orphanage days. Those days were hazy and dim memories at best. Maybe someday those memories would resurface with greater clarity, but they hadn't yet for most of the orphanage gang.

"You don't understand, it was a really, really super-duper long day," Selphie replied.

In her defense, it really was. She still didn't know how they packed all those activities into such a small amount of time.

Rinoa took a small step into the SeeD Compartment. Cold air surrounded her and was a shock from the heat she'd just felt from outside. She hugged her arms around herself.

"It's freezing in here," she complained.

"It's all part of the luxury. No expense spared. Let's blast away the summer heat!" Selphie said with her hands up in the air, fingers outstretched. She then patted the spot beside her encouragingly. "And no complaining. We're gonna have a super fun day for a super fun reason."

Rinoa took a hesitant step and then forced a smile, a tentative one.

"You're right, let's do this," Rinoa said, "for Squall!"

The train rumbled and gave a loud horn blast, making Rinoa jump. She took a seat next to Selphie as the train gathered momentum and broke out from under the train station awning. Bright sunshine flooded the cabin. It took a minute or two of slow chugging before the train got up to top speed, but soon they were entering the underground tunnel to go to Dollet. Then the sunlight was gone and only the cabin lights remained. Rinoa stared forward with determination and made a tight fist. She had to find the perfect present for Squall's birthday, it was tomorrow! Hopefully between the two of them, they would. They were on a shopping trip with a purpose.

"Train Train take us away..." Selphie sang under her breath, incorporating the rhythm of the train into her song.

Clacktey-clack. Clackety-clack.

* * *

The Dollet Dukedom. The place of Selphie's SeeD exam. The place where they acquired Siren. The place where she fought a gigantic metal spider machine alongside Squall and Zell. It was the place where Quistis saved Squall's life with machine gunfire too. Ah yes, Dollet, lots of intense memories.

But today Selphie was just there for a leisurely day of shopping.

She spun around and absorbed all the charm Dollet had to offer. Cobblestones and winding streets, fountains and views of the ocean. This would be the perfect place for a bed and breakfast. She felt like she was on a lovely mini-vacation. The oppressive heat and humidity that settled over Balamb was nowhere to be found. Large billowing white clouds moved through the blue sky at a momentously slow pace over the ocean. It was beautiful and refreshing to both her body and spirit. It was a near perfect day.

Where to start first though? It didn't look like Rinoa had anything in mind. She was just looking up and down the streets with mild interest.

"Let's try that bookstore," Selphie offered helpfully while pointing down the cobblestone street. She had seen the small shop with a green awning. Windows with colorful pyramids of book displays had caught her eyes. Rinoa nodded in agreement. They ambled over to go inside, smiling all the way.

A little bell sounded as they entered the bookstore. The contrasting darkness of the store blinded them for a few moments. They blinked while waiting for their eyes to adjust to the dim light of the old bookstore. It smelled like paper, musty wood, and dust. Somehow that combination was not unpleasant to either of them. Rows and rows of books were before them, along with various assortments of small gifts and stationery sets.

Selphie saw a wooden bin of stuffed animals and ran over to investigate. The small toys were in a big tumbled pile of plush softness. She reached in and swirled her hands through while smiling to herself. There were red foxes, gray squirrels, yellow chocobos, and brown bears to name a few. She thought any one of them would be the perfect gift, for herself!

She grabbed a plush yellow chocobo and petted the bird's head. It looked cute, but she imagined the chocobo looked lonely. She grabbed a little squirrel with a bushy tail and tapped its little muzzle into the chocobo's orange beak. Kisses! Best Friends Forever!

Rinoa looked over at her friend gleefully playing in the stuffed animal bin and shook her head slightly. Her friend was all over the place, sometimes she was dark and scary and other times she was playful and childish. She wouldn't call her childish to her face though. She sighed. Although Selphie had no problem jumping right into shopping, Rinoa didn't know where to start. She looked around before her eyes settled on a circular metal rack of paperbacks that was closest to her.

"Hey Selphie, check this out," Rinoa said while going forward and reaching out to grab a romance paperback. "This guy looks just like Irvine." She held the book out for Selphie to see.

Selphie dropped the stuffed animals she was holding and pushed some of her brown hair behind her ears. She stepped quickly to where Rinoa was standing and grabbed the book from her to take a closer look. A shirtless and very muscular tanned cowboy graced the cover. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of weathered and low slung jeans and a dark cowboy hat.

"Irvine? Yea right, he wishes!" Selphie laughed. "The only thing Irvine has in have in common with this guy is the HAT."

Rinoa laughed while digging through more paperbacks. "Hmmm, I don't think Squall is going to like any of these for his birthday." She held up another paperback, this one had a medieval knight holding a sword on the cover. He was lacking armor and a shirt.

"Well, at least that one has a sword on it, maybe he'd like that," Selphie said. The thought of giving Squall any of these things was ridiculous. She could just imagine his face, which would be quickly covered in his gloved hand. "It doesn't look very historically accurate though. I don't think Squall would like that. And bare-chested isn't very practical for warfare."

"Yea, probably not a good choice for him," Rinoa conceded with a smile. "I don't know what he'd like to read either."

"Me neither," Selphie said, "but definitely not that," she said while pointing at it.

Selphie joined Rinoa and started digging through the paperback rack. She spun it around and around until something could catch her eye. When nothing did, she gave it another spin and randomly selected a book. Her face lit up when she saw what she'd grabbed. Goldmine.

"Hey, this guy kinda reminds me of Squall!" Selphie said in a sing-song voice. She turned the cover out and held it up in front of her face. Her green eyes smiled over the top of the book at Rinoa.

A handsome yet serious and brooding vampire stared out at Rinoa from the book's cover. His seductive and souless eyes paired with a set of sharp white fangs.

Rinoa reached out and pushed on the book, smacking Selphie in the face. Selphie took a step backwards to regain her balance and she nearly dropped the book on the store's worn and dusty brown carpet.

"NO! NO! NO! Selphie! That's NOT funny!" Rinoa insisted.

She was so sick of that vampire trend. Was it still even a thing? Sure, she'd read a few of them, when she was younger. Everybody did, and she was just trying to keep up with popular culture. That's how she knew to be so offended by Selphie's comparison.

"And Squall doesn't look ANYTHING like that!" Rinoa complained. Her face reddened.

Selphie did not anticipate this reaction from Rinoa. She was actually angry. Apparently Rinoa took her relationship with Squall very seriously. No jokes allowed, at least not ones about sexy vampires.

"He doesn't have fangs! He isn't that pale! AND he doesn't look constipated!" Rinoa continued.

"Chill out Rinoa, it was just a joke," Selphie said while tossing the book back on the rack with a thud. A cloud of dust erupted in its wake and the metal rack creaked. "Squall does NOT look like that okay. He's much more healthy looking and athletic." Rinoa nodded, seemingly appeased, but Selphie wasn't done yet with her teasing. Selphie smiled and took a deep breath before continuing in a rush with her hands clasped in front of her chest.

"Squall is much more handsome than that guy. I mean, Squall is hot AND his dad is hot. Was his great-grandfather totally hot too? All signs point to YES! He comes from a long line of never-ending masculine hotness," Selphie teased.

Rinoa rolled her eyes, but Selphie kept going, waving her hands in the air.

"And he's the life of the party wherever he goes! Basically a party breaks out whenever he enters a room! He's the PERFECT guy with NO PERSONALITY FLAWS and nobody should ever DARE make a silly joke about him." She stopped to take a breath. "HAPPY NOW?" Selphie asked with her hand on her hip.

"Yes," Rinoa said with sarcasm, her eyes were halfway open and she looked down her nose at Selphie. "Very happy."

"Great, now can we be friends again?!" Selphie yelled in the quiet book store. She slapped the bookrack nearest her for emphasis. More dust rained down on the carpet.

They heard the sounds of quickly paced footsteps approaching them from the back of the store. From the sound of it, the owner of those footsteps was not pleased.

"Uh-oh, I think we're disrupting the peace here," Selphie said. "Hurry, let's go!"

Selphie didn't wait for a response but instead scrambled over Rinoa, causing the sorceress to lose her balance and knock over a few of the books on a nearby table. They had been carefully displayed, but now they just spilled on the floor in a messy pile. Rinoa looked down and saw one of the titles on how to raise chocobos called 'From Chicabo to Chocobo: the complete guide.' She sheepishly bent down and picked up the book and handed it the angry store clerk, who by that time was standing in front of her. Rinoa smiled at her and then walked briskly out the front door without a word.

Selphie was waiting outside trying unsuccessfully to see inside the bookstore. The contrast between the glaring sunshine and the darkness of the bookstore made it impossible to see more than a foot or two inside. All of a sudden Rinoa appeared, finally.

"What took you so long?" asked Selphie impatiently.

Rinoa retold the story, causing Selphie to laugh lightly.

"You gotta work on fleeing Rinoa," Selphie said while making a fist. "It can come in handy during battles AND a wide variety of scenarios."

"Pfft," Rinoa said. "When would that come in handy... other than in battle or shopping with YOU?"

"Well, for one," Selphie said, "if a scary guy is bothering you - FLEE! Who cares if you drop a little Gil, just get out of there lickety-split!"

"Thanks Selphie, I'll keep that in mind," Rinoa said while shaking her head. "Now where to?"

They looked across the cobblestone streets. There were a variety of little shops dedicated to clothing, accessories, and souvenirs. The usual. There had to be something here Squall would like for his birthday.

Rinoa's glance caught on something different looking. A hand painted sign hung outside of a shop with a curvy and stylized red dragon on it. The Ruby Dragon's Dungeon.

"Oh look, there's a game store over there!" Rinoa said. "Maybe we can find some extra Triple Triad cards for Squall!"

Selphie groaned. That didn't sound like fun to her. Maybe she should just go back to the bookstore. The clerk couldn't be too angry still, could she? Those stuffed animals were pretty cute. Maybe they could find a lion for Squall. He'd act like he wouldn't like it, but he would. At least that's what she told herself.

"I can't believe Squall is into that stuff. He seems like the last person on the planet to play games with random people. Weird," Selphie said.

"It's not weird! It's very popular and mainstream," Rinoa defended. "Almost everybody you meet on the street plays at least a little bit."

"Yea, well maybe that's weird too," Selphie said.

"Well, too bad we're going in," Rinoa said while dragging Selphie to the store. "And I've seen you play sometimes too."

"I'm not super into it. I'm casual about it. I'm cool-as-a-cactuar about it," Selphie said. "Sometimes you just need to do something during down time."

This time Rinoa grabbed Selphie by the shoulders and pushed her towards the store's door. She opened it wide and shoved the little SeeD inside first. Rinoa was a little apprehensive herself because sometimes places like this weren't the friendliest. Good thing Selphie was with her. She didn't think Selphie would take crap from anybody, which was sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

They were instantly met with stale air and darkness. At least the bookstore had a window to let some natural light in. This place felt like a dungeon, but maybe that was the atmosphere they were going for. When their eyes adjusted, they saw prop weapons and dice games on display everywhere. The walls were black and it didn't look like the store got cleaned regularly. Selphie wasn't scared of much, but she didn't like the feeling of this place. She felt safer in the Deling City sewers. It smelled better there.

"Ladies..." a voice said as Selphie felt a clammy hand touch her bare shoulder. She jumped and turned, her hair bouncing. The greasy haired store clerk stood next to her. Somehow he was even smarmier than Irvine. "Did you come in here by mistake?" he asked. Selphie shook her head. "Do you need any assistance?"

Selphie nodded her head at the guy. She thought Irvine wasn't the greatest, but maybe he wasn't that bad after all. She'd humor the clerk and then get out of there.

A few minutes later they exited the store. Selphie was carrying a little plastic shopping bag which she balled up and stuffed into her back pocket.

"Okay, so they didn't have any special Triple Triad cards for Squall," Rinoa said while flipping her dark hair over her shoulders. She felt like she needed to air herself out after being in that store. "Maybe we can get him some clothes. He always wears the same things. Too bad I don't know his size."

Selphie nodded her head in agreement and they trudged on. She thought shopping for Squall would have been more fun than this. It felt like a chore even though birthdays and presents should be nonstop fun. Maybe walking around would cheer her up.

Their boots clomped on the hard cobblestone streets of Dollet. The cobblestones looked beautiful and gave the town a quaint and picturesque quality, but they were hard to walk on. The curved slope of each individual cobblestone tripped Rinoa and Selphie up again and again. Rinoa's legs were getting tired and she'd turned her ankle more than once.

"Let's take a rest. We can sit by the fountain over there," Rinoa said.

They were almost at the center of the town. And they both knew from previous visits that there was a large fountain there. Rinoa thought that it'd be nice to sit on the edge of the fountain for a few minutes while listening to the running water and admiring the stone statues. But she mostly just wanted to rest her feet.

Selphie squinted against the light and looked over at the fountain in the center of town. There was a brown haired man of average height and looks, wearing non-descript clothes of a muted color. He was wearing jeans and a plain t-shirt that was either gray, green, or brown. It bordered on all three. He sat alone at the fountain.

"Hey, that guy looks like Nida over there," Selphie said while pointing.

Rinoa turned her head to look. It was just a young man, no more, no less. It could be anybody.

"Everybody looks like Nida," Rinoa said. "It isn't him."

"Yes, it is," Selphie insisted. She was only 60% sure it was, but she didn't like Rinoa going against her.

"No, it's not," Rinoa responded.

"Yes, it is! And there's only one way to prove it," Selphie said.

"NIDA! HEY NIDA!" Selphie yelled while waving her hands wildly to get the man's attention. The man looked up towards them. "I told you it was Nida!" Selphie said to Rinoa. She broke into a run and hurried over to the surprised man. Rinoa ran after her.

"Hello?" he said politely as they approached. "Do I know you?" he asked while raising his eyebrows.

"Nida, I know it's you," Selphie said while crossing her arms over herself after skidding to a stop. She wobbled on a loose cobblestone.

"Excuse me, but I don't know what you're talking about," he responded while continuing to be seated.

"Oh wait, are you on a special assignment?" Selphie whispered while covering her mouth with her hand. "Am I blowing your cover?"

"Selphie, leave him alone," Rinoa said while taking her by the arm and pulling. "Sorry, my friend has an active imagination. We'll leave you alone now sir." Rinoa turned her back and began marching away, trying to move Selphie all the while.

"No! It's him! Nida stop playing around!" Selphie said while pushing Rinoa back. Now she was only 50% sure it was him. It could go either way at this point, but she persisted.

The man stood up to confront them. Although he wasn't the tallest person, he towered over them easily. Rinoa took several steps backwards. Selphie had upset a total stranger, and a large muscular one at that. Rinoa figured she could handle this on her own without any assistance from her. She started to back away.

The man glared down into Selphie's bright green eyes, and her confidence started to fade. Maybe this wasn't Nida and she should back down. While she contemplated, she didn't blink or budge at his stare. Staring contests were fun anyways, random stranger or not. Her eyes stayed focused until tears started forming in her eyes.

"Fine!" he yelled after a few moments. "It's me Selphie. I'm surprised you recognized me. Nobody ever does," Nida said while waving his arm in the air. Selphie inwardly felt relief. She'd thought she'd made a mistake.

Rinoa's head whipped around and took a closer look at the man. Nida really did look like everybody.

"Whatcha doing in Dollet, Nida?" Selphie asked. "And I totally knew it was you the whole time," she fibbed.

"I'm just enjoying some time off. Getting away for the day," he replied. "Chillaxin'."

Selphie shuddered at the weird made-up word. She made up words too, but hers were cute. Then as she looked at Nida standing before her, she got an idea.

"Nida, could you help us out?" she asked while looking his body up and down.

Rinoa looked over at Selphie.

"Maybe," he replied, unsure of where this was going.

"We're looking for a present for Squall. We don't know what his clothing size is, but you look about the same size. Wanna help us out?"

Nida's eyes widened at her request. He cocked his head to the side.

"I'll buy you some ice cream later," Selphie said to persuade him.

"No, Selphie I'm sure he wouldn't want to..." Rinoa started to say.

"I don't know..." Nida said.

"Fashion show! Fashion show!" Selphie started to chant. She circled around him while looking him over. "Fashion show!" She said while pumping her fist in the air.

Nida did not get this sort of attention from women usually. Actually he never got any attention from anybody ever. And here were two cute women, a fellow SeeD and the SeeD commander's girlfriend, paying attention to him and wanting him to dress up.

At least one of them wanted him to dress up.

"Sure!" Nida said while smiling. "Fashion show!" he said while making a small fist pump along with Selphie. His eyes looked towards her for direction. He didn't know how something like this went.

Selphie looked up and down the street. There were clothing shops everywhere. Might as well pick one and try it out.

"Let's go over there," she suggested while grabbing both Rinoa and Nida by the arms. A small shop that appeared to have menswear in the store window was just up the street. "I'm sure they'll have something there." She hurried them along. She couldn't wait to play dress up with Nida.

* * *

"Come out," Selphie instructed.

"No," a man's voice said timidly.

"It's okay Nida, we won't laugh," Rinoa said from a plush chair near the lone dressing room. She stretched out her legs and was thankful for the rest from walking around, not to mention the air conditioning. She breathed in the smell of expensive men's cologne that wafted through the shop's air. Would she like Squall wearing cologne? Imagining cologne mixing with the scent of blood and guts seemed disgusting to her. Better leave it alone. "Please Nida?" Rinoa said sweetly while flicking a little piece of lint off her shoulder.

A small clink sounded as the dressing room door was unlatched. Nida stepped out. His face was downcast as he looked at his feet. He wore tight black jeans with a leather belt and a black shirt. It was very un-Nida-like. Not that they really knew what Nida was like. But was it Squall like? Rinoa stared at him appraisingly.

"Squall likes black, but maybe that's too much black," Rinoa said after a moment. "And I was hoping to get him something different than what he already has."

Selphie shook her head sadly. "Okay, round two," Selphie said. She shooed Nida back into the dressing room to change into something else they'd picked out.

Within a few minutes he emerged again. This time he was wearing a short sleeve button down plaid shirt in blues, grays, and whites. Selphie and Rinoa looked at each other for reactions. Selphie made her hand wave in the so-so gesture. She shrugged.

"Uh, I don't think Squall is a plaid sort of guy," Rinoa said finally.

"Okay, round three," Sephie said.

Nida went back inside the dressing room. The sound of clothes rumpling and Nida grunting was all that could be heard for a few minutes. He soon came out and was wearing a yellow shirt adorned with a small repeating pineapple pattern.

"Who picked that one?" Rinoa complained. As if she had to ask.

"I thought it looked good," Selphie defended with her palms up.

Nida covered his face with both hands. This wasn't fun at all. He turned and went back into the dressing room. "This is the last one!" he called out.

He hastily changed while they heard frantic rustling and the sound of clothes being thrown around. He came out again in a few minutes. This time he was wearing the tight black jeans and a soft gray t-shirt. It looked like something Squall would wear. Maybe it looked like something Squall already had, except for the tightness of the pants and lack of belts.

"Wow! You look great," Selphie said while running up to Nida. She smoothed her hand over the muscular toned skin of his arm. Nida smiled a small smile and blushed, content as a housecat. "You look just like a poor man's version of Squall," she added. Nida frowned.

Selphie turned to Rinoa with a wide smile on her face, her hand still on Nida's arm. "Let's pretend he's Laguna next!"

Rinoa stood up abruptly and shook her head.

"Ugh, this isn't working! This looks like something he already has," she complained. "I'm never going to find something good for his birthday! We've wasted the whole day!"

Rinoa turned and ran out of the store, pushing clothes out of her way as she went. Her blue duster trailed behind her dramatically as she flew through the front door. She sure could make an exit.

"Rinoa wait!" Selphie yelled after her. She turned towards Nida. "Uh, here's some Gil. You can get yourself an ice cream cone with it later. Thanks for all your help. Gotta go!" She turned and ran to catch up with Rinoa.

Nida looked out of the store's front window. A flash of blue was followed by a flash of yellow. The two girls were running all the way down the street already. That didn't go the way he had hoped. And here he was left wearing the store's clothes that were meant for their beloved Commander Leonhart like an idiot. He couldn't even run after them without committing retail theft. He guessed his brief moment in the sun, or at least in reflected sunlight, was over. Maybe there would be a next time.

He looked back down at himself and then in the mirror across from him. He did look like a bad Squall impersonator. He sighed. Maybe he'd try that flashy yellow pineapple shirt back on. Just for fun.

* * *

They ran through little winding Dolletian streets while a fresh ocean breeze flowed around them. It seemed like a fun game of tag in the summertime between two children, but Rinoa wasn't playing and they weren't children.

Selphie didn't want to upset Rinoa. It just wasn't lucky to seriously upset anybody with even the slightest hint of extra powers, and Rinoa was maxed out. Beware. Of. Sorceress.

"Rinoa, wait!" Selphie yelled while catching up to her friend. "I'm sorry!"

Rinoa tripped over a cobblestone, then slowed down and turned.

"Sorry for what?"

Selphie chewed her lip. She hadn't expected any follow up questions. "Um, I'm sorry that... this... isn't... good?" she finished. She shrugged her bare shoulders at her.

Rinoa huffed. She wasn't mad at Selphie, not exactly.

"Well, I'm sorry that I don't know what to get for Squall. I'm sorry that his birthday is tomorrow and I'm running out of time. And that I'm sorry that I'm letting you help me get a gift that I should be getting for him myself," Rinoa said.

"Ouch." Selphie responded, bristling at Rinoa's statement. She just wanted to help her friend out. She turned and pretended to fix the fit of her brown boots to hide the hurt on her face. "Uh, why don't you lead the way then. I'll just follow along and observe. Moral support," she added. "Or something."

Rinoa's dark brows drew together. She raised them at her friend. She didn't meant to sound so harsh, but sometimes Selphie just rubbed her the wrong way. She didn't want to upset Selphie. It wasn't smart to seriously upset anybody with even the slightest hint of intensity, and Selphie was maxed out with intensity. Beware. Of. Selphie.

They both smiled at each other tentatively with forced smiles.

"Uh, that's good. Let's do that," Rinoa said in a sweet voice. She randomly pointed down the street at a storefront with a red awning over the door. "Let's try those bunch of stores down there, okay?"

Selphie nodded and smiled, and then they were off. Rinoa was the leader now.

* * *

"It'll be fine," Selphie said.

Rinoa said nothing.

"He'll have a great birthday!" she assured Rinoa.

Selphie sat back on the plush SeeD compartment seat. She loved trains, but this ride home was tense. Rinoa had gotten fed up with their shopping trip and stormed off without buying anything good for Squall. They'd decided to just head back to Balamb after a few more halfhearted stops in stores. Their trip was barely worth the lengthy train ride at all. They didn't even stop to eat! She would have loved to have eaten at a little outdoor cafe overlooking an ocean view. Or strolling through the streets with an ice cream cone in the sunshine. Well, it didn't happen. Maybe Nida was enjoying an ice cream cone for them.

"You're his girlfriend. That's enough of a present for him," Selphie said while patting Rinoa on the printed white wing design on her back. "He's the boyfriend of the sweetest angel in the world," she said while looking at Rinoa's sour face and downturned mouth. "Lucky guy," she added quietly.

Selphie sighed and looked out the train window. She'd tried to help and it didn't work. Selphie thought that she could have helped Rinoa find the perfect gift for him, but they'd just run out of time and most importantly, patience. Rinoa needed to be more optimistic and less doom-and-gloom. Maybe she'd help her with her attitude later. Oh well.

Squall and Rinoa were on their own tomorrow.

Clackety-clack. Clackety-clack.

* * *

Rinoa stood in the middle of Squall's SeeD apartment, clutching a gift bag with presents and cards behind her back. His apartment was all black leather and sharp angles. Everything was so neat and clean, like nobody even lived there. She stepped carefully and hesitantly, like her presence alone would mess up all the tidiness of his orderly little world. She took yet another step closer to where he stood and swayed side to side with nervous anticipation. Today was the day, no more stalling. It was Squall Leonhart's birthday.

She looked at him standing there in his black jeans and white t-shirt, like usual. He was quiet and his face was unaltered, as if today were any other day. Maybe to him it was, but she wanted to make it special. Was he even wondering what he was going to get?

She cleared her throat before speaking and it wavered slightly. "I told Selphie that she didn't need to get you anything, but she insisted," Rinoa said as she handed Squall a small package and an envelope.

Squall's face scrunched up momentarily. That hadn't been what he'd been expecting. Why was Rinoa mentioning Selphie?

He reached out to take the items from her and then opened up the envelope and pulled out a card. Printed calligraphy flowed over a background of pastel watercolor flowers that said 'I think you're the best...' Then Squall opened up the card to finish reading the message. '...sometimes.'

She'd also written 'Happy Birthday Commander Squall!' And in smaller writing at the bottom she'd added, 'Say hi to your dad for me,' before signing her name with a flourish.

Rinoa just shrugged when Squall looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

Squall then looked down at Selphie's tiny present. A long thin box was wrapped in colorful floral paper and tied up with orange ribbon and adorned with a large puff of curled ribbons that cascaded over the sides. He tried to open it, but the ribbons were tied so tight he had trouble even getting his finger underneath one. He gave up and simply grabbed the mass of curly ribbons and ripped them all of in one hard motion. They snapped and he rustled the paper aside. Once he opened the box and tilted it, an 8 inch metal replica of a basic gunblade slid out into his hand. He picked it up to examine it closer, not knowing what to do with it. He pushed his finger into the blade to test for sharpness. It was fairly dull.

What was he supposed to do with a miniature fake gunblade? Knowing Selphie, it was meant for a doll or a stuffed animal.

Rinoa saw Squall's eyebrows knit together and his eyes narrow as he looked at the present.

"I think it's a letter opener," Rinoa said. "She got it at a... um... specialty shop in Dollet."

Squall's eyes opened and he nodded at the little gunblade. At least it had a practical purpose even if having things that looked like other things wasn't his style. At least it wasn't a hotdog telephone or a chocobo alarm clock.

"Uh, I guess I'll give you my present now," Rinoa said nervously, taking another envelope out of the gift bag.

He stiffened and got ready to pretend to like a hotdog telephone or a chocobo alarm clock, if that's what she'd given him.

She handed him a thick envelope and he took it from her. He let out a breath of air and steeled himself. He made sure that his face was an impassive mask. He closed his eyes and slowly opened the envelope.

When he opened his eyes he saw a birthday card with a picture of a puppy sitting on a lush carpet of green grass, wearing a party hat. It said, 'Happy Barkday!' on it. His eyes narrowed at it as he opened it to read the inside.

He didn't notice what she'd written because a gift card was revealed to him.

He'd known that Rinoa had spent the previous day in downtown Dollet shopping for him with Selphie. All she'd gotten him was a gift card!?

Squall got ready to lie and say that he loved it when Rinoa burst into a breathless explanation.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know what to get you! I really tried. We looked everywhere!" she said frantically. "The more and more we looked, the more I realized I didn't really know what sorts of things you like. I mean, I know about war-Squall, but I don't know tons about regular everyday-Squall. War-Squall likes gunblades and recovery items, but what does regular-Squall like?" She paused before continuing. "I don't even know!" she said while throwing her hands in the air. Rinoa hid her face in her hands and grumbled incoherently.

She knew this wasn't going to go well. Maybe she should have just treated him to dinner at a restaurant and a movie. Nothing that needed to be wrapped or put in a little decorative giftcard holder. It wasn't even for a specific store. It was just money loaded onto the card. She might as well given him a some folded up Gil in a birthday card, like she was somebody's grandma. And like he needed more money. He never spent any of it anyway.

"Rinoa," Squall said while grabbing her arms. He pulled to get her to take her hands away from her face. She resisted a moment before relenting. "It's okay." Her breathing was uneven and tense. She was taking his birthday so seriously.

"I should know more about you, and I don't. Why is that?" she asked in a small voice. She thought for a moment. "I know what we need. Time. Maybe we should spend some more time together? Nothing serious. Just two normal people doing normal things together." Her eyes lit up at her idea. "We can go out on more dates. Just like other couples. Just two young people out on a date with no responsibilities. We can go out for pizza, milkshakes, or ice cream cones," she said.

Squall thought that her plan sounded like a good idea, although a very dairy heavy idea. He dropped his shoulders.

"But I'm lactose intolerant," Squall said flatly.

Rinoa's hand flew up to her mouth. A flush reddened her cheeks and made her chest and neck blotchy.

"I really don't know anything about you," she gasped. She looked away from him and out the window. How did she not know something like that? They'd eaten together countless times. She must be very unobservant. She kicked herself for being so self-centered. "I'm the worst girlfriend ever," she sighed.

Squall let her wallow in her feelings for a few moments longer before responding.

"I'm joking," he said with a shake of his head, his brown hair falling over his eyes.

Rinoa turned back towards him, her eyes were daggers and her dark hair was swinging from the sudden motion. She saw a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His stupid pretty lips on his big jerk face. Now she was mad.

"You're mean! You made me think that..."

She lifted her black boot and pretended to get ready to kick him in the shins. He sidestepped and shied away from her while smiling. He had to be careful, those boots had steel toes.

"We've had pizza together before and ice cream in the cafeteria," he said. "Don't you remember?"

Rinoa eventually nodded halfheartedly. She was just thrown off by the rarity of a Squall making a joke.

"But I think spending more time together is a good idea. Why don't I take you out to dinner tonight. Just the two of us?" he asked.

"But it's your birthday, I should be taking you out," she responded with exasperation.

"It's okay," he said.

 _What's the difference?_ he thought. _We're both going to be eating in the same restaurant together._

"We can go out for pizza, milkshakes, and ice cream," he said. "Or whatever else you want, no matter how much dairy or cholesterol is in it."

Rinoa got excited and went onto the tops of her tip toes with her hands clasped before herself.

"And birthday cake for later! Birthday cheesecake for Mr. Meany!" Rinoa added, "Cheesecake for Mr. fake-lactose-intolerant Leonhart!" She wagged her finger at him like he was a naughty little boy.

Squall really hoped she was joking with all the dairy stuff. But he'd eat it either way. He ate everything. Both literally and figuratively. He just wanted to make her happy.

Rinoa threw her arms around him and tucked her face towards his shirt. She shook slightly with excitement and nervous energy.

Whether by cholesterol or otherwise, Squall just knew that she'd end up being the death of him. He wrapped his arms around her slender pale shoulders and bent down towards her, trying to soothe her.

And cheesecake? Rinoa didn't even know what she even saying. She hadn't meant for any of that to come out of her mouth. She felt like she was babbling at this point. She wished she could say something coherent and sincere. Something that would say how important he was to her and everybody else. That this day was special because it's when he came into the world. That all she wanted was for them to spend time together. For it to stand still with no worries beyond the moment they were living in. That she was glad to know him. That she'd like to know him even better. But that sounded too corny and dumb, like something from a greeting card. Something written by somebody who got a paycheck to write fake heartfelt messages for people with no words of their own. Her heart swelled and she wished she could condense her feelings into words that she could easily share without sounding silly, but she couldn't. How could she even start? What could she say?

She stood there, hiding her face in his chest. The apartment was quiet and she felt awkward after her earlier outburst and Squall's attempt to lighten the mood with semi-mean joking. It was so quiet, but the silence of the room was not oppressive. She just wished she could fill it without disrupting the peaceful moment. She took a deep calming breath.

"Happy Birthday Squall," she said breathily into the front of his clean white t-shirt.

He tightened his hold on her and brushed his face down on the top of her hair.

Words and presents weren't the only way to communicate feelings anyway.

The end.

* * *

Author's notes: This was based off of an idea of Rinoa and Selphie teasing each other in a book store while looking at romance novel covers. I really wanted them to make a joke about a cowboy romance novel... AND I really wanted to contribute to the Successor Challenge 2017. I know this is a really silly story and all over the place, but it's something. Please read and review.


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